Apparatus for applying closures to bottles



Sept- Z6, 1967 K. M. BRANDTBERG 3,343,330

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING CLOSURES TO BOTTLES Original Filed Oct. 29, 1965 I l w h *W/OJ 94 N United States Patent 3,343,330 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING CLOSURES T0 BOTTLES Kai Michael Brandtberg, Copenhagen, Valby, Denmark, assignor to Brinch & Spehr Aktieselskabet, Ballerup, Denmark Original application Oct. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 319,752, now Patent No. 3,301,425, dated Jan. 31, 1967. Divided and this application Oct. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 406,018

3 Claims. (Cl. 53-19) This application is a division of application Ser. No. 319,752, filed Oct. 29, 1963 and now Patent No. 3,301,425, issued Jan. 31, 1967.

The invention relates to an apparatus for applying closures to bottles and similar containers having a bulbous mouth. The closure is of the kind having a cap including a disc, and the depending skirt on said disc, said skirt including'a circumferential bulbous facing inwardly, and an outwardly projecting extension below the bulb, a reinforcing ranging encircling the skirt and adapted for compressing the bulb in the cavity at the mouth of the bottle upon downward relative movement of the ring over the skirt a distance sufficient to cause the extension to be downwardly and inwardly depressed, said ring including an edge portion of sharp profile facing the skirt for locally engaging the same when the extension is downwardly and inwardly depressed to thereafter prevent upward rriovement of the ring on the skirt.

In the known apparatus of this kind the cap is pressed into its closing position by a capping mandrel before the reinforcing ring is applied on the cap for being pressed into its fin-al position by another mandrel or similar tool.

The invention has for its purpose to enable the capping in one operation in which the cap and its ring are with a single tool pressed into their final position.

According to the invention the capping apparatus comprises a mandrel adapted for encircling the ring and cap to apply the same onto the mouth of the bottle, said mandrel comprising a body surrounding the skirt and ring and having a contact surface facing the disc, an upper shoulder facing the ring and a lower shoulder facing the extension, said shoulders being spaced from the contact surface respective distances to cause the upper shoulder to engage the ring and hold the same around the skirt while the lower shoulder engages the extension to depress the same to force the bulb into the cavity and the ring and cap into engagement when relative movement is provided between the mandrel and the bottle with the cap and ring thereon.

According to a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention the said body of said mandrel has a conical surface between the upper and lower shoulders which widens downwardly, thereby serving to .press the outwardly projecting extension of the cap inwardly for compressing the bulb in the cavity of the mouth.

According to a further embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention the vertical distance between the two shoulders of the mandrel exceeds the vertical distance between the upper side of the ring and the lower edge of the extension of the cap when the said parts are in their final position.

The drawings show an embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention.

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of a part of the apparatus at the beginning of the capping operation;

FIGURE 2 is a similar view of the apparatus near the end of the capping operation; and

FIGURE 3 is a similar view of the cap at the end of the capping operation.

The cap consists of the disc 1 cast integral with a depending skirt 2, for example of polyethylene. At its lower end the skirt carries an inner circumferential bulb 3 and below same an outwardly projecting extension 4.

Prior to or during the capping operation a safety or reinforcement ring 5 of polystyrene or another brittle, but strong material, is passed down over the skirt 2 approximately into the position indicated in FIGURE 1.

The cap is then loosely mounted on the bulbous mouth 6 of a bottle, and the whole is passed into position on same as indicated in FIGURE 2, in which the ring 5 is resting on a circumferential shoulder 18.

The capping operation is performed by means of a capping mandrel or other similar sealing tool. The bulb 3, which during the capping operation slides down over the bulbous mouth 6, isowing to the ring 5 being passed down into the position opposite the bulb 3 indicated in FIGURE 2-forced into the cavity in the mouth of the bottle against the underside of the bulbous mouth at a pressure that is almost equal to the pressure exerted by the ring 5 against the skirt. During the last part of its movement, the ring presses the extension 4 downwards around the bottle neck 7, whereby the lower part of the bulb 3 is swung inwards towards the bottle, thus compressing the skirt and thereby increasing the pressure exerted against the container.

In the sealing position of the cap, the hard ring 5 produces a depression in the soft skirt 2 by means of an inwardly rand upwardly directed sharp edge 8 provided at the smaller diameter of the ring, whereby the ring 5 is prevented from sliding upwards along the skirt. The edge 8 need not be continuous. It may be rounded off and may, for example, be divided into the number of teeth all pointing upwards and inwards. The lower inner curvature of the ring at 19 facilitates the passage of the ring down over the skirt 2.

The ring 5 needs not be only a brittle material. This material may be tough, if only it is permanently deformable. Thus an aluminum ring is acceptable and will provide a satisfactory reinforcement. When the bottle or container is uncapped, such a ring will be permanently deformed, and although it is not caused to burst, it will be so expanded that it is unfit for further use.

In order to prevent the reinforcement ring 5 from forc ing the extension 4 down towards the wall of the bottle until the bulb 3 has been brought to a position fully beneath the bulbous mouth 6, the extension 4 is provided with a conical surface 9 for cooperating with an inner oblique surface 10 of the ring 5.

The capping operation is carried out by means of a capping mandrel 11 with contact surface 12 and shoulders 13 and 14.

The bottle 7 is introduced with mounted cap and ring into the stationary mandrel 11. As a result, the ring 5 is passed down over the skirt 2 by the shoulder 14, and the shoulder 18 provided on the extension 4 is pressed against the bottle 7 by the shoulder 13.

Directly before the sealing operation is completed, the bulb 3 has as indicated in FIGURE 2 entered into position in the cavity in the bottle beneath the mouth 6, the ring 5, by the force of friction, drawing the cap into position on the mouth 6 prior to the completion of the sealing operation by the exertion of pressure by shoulder 12 against the disc 1.

Simultaneously, the flat inner side 10 of the ring 5 snaps into contact with the conical surface 9 of the extension 4, whereby the said extension is squeezed into the position indicated in FIGURE 3. At the same time of this operation, the material of the bulb 3 is therefore compressed, thus increasing the sealing relation between the bulb 3 and the underside of the bulbous mouth 6.

The shoulder 13 and a conical surface 20 between the upper and lower shoulders which widens downwardly to press the extension 18 inwardly to bring the surface 9 of Patented Sept. 26, 1967 I 3 the cap to fit with the surface of the ring 5 at the final position, as shown in FIGURE 3. v

The bottle 7 is uncapped by placing a finger or a bottle opener into position beneath the extension 4 or beneath the ring 5, and effecting a lifting movement whereby the ring is caused to burst, after which the cap again assumes the form indicated in FIGURE 1 and may be readily removed from the bottle.

If there is a pressure above atmospheric inside the bottle, the cap will have a tendency to assume the form of a barrel as a result of which, however, the edge 8 will increase its grip in the skirt 2 and thus prevent the ring 5 from creeping upwards along same.

The ring 5 serves not only to retain the cap in its position on the bottle, but as the ring will burst with certainty on the first removal of the cap, its presence also serves to guarantee that the bottle has not previously been opened, which, however, does not exclude repeated use of the cap for sealing without the ring. The cap will not in such case be of the same substantial sealing capacity as when reinforced by means of the ring.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for applying a closure on a bottle having a mouth with an external circumferential cavity, said closure being constituted by a cap including a disc, and a depending skirt on said disc, said skirt including a circumferential bulb facing inwardly, and outwardly projecting extension below the bulb, a reinforcing ring encircling the skirt and adapted for compressing the bulb in the cavity at the mouth of the bottle upon downward relative movement of the ring over the skirt a distance sufiicient to cause said extension to be downwardly and inwardly depressed, said ring including an edge portion of sharp profile facing the skirt for locally engaging the same when the extension is downwardly and inwardly depressed to thereafter prevent upward movement of the ring on the skirt, said apparatus comprising a mandrel adapted for encircling the ring and cap to apply the same onto the mouth of the bottle, said mandrel comprising a body surrounding the skirt and ring and having a contact surface facing the disc, an upper shoulder parallel to the contact surface for contacting the ring and a lower shoulder for contacting the extension, said shoulders being spaced from the contact surface by respective distances to cause the upper shoulder to contact the ring and the lower shoulder to contact the extension whereby upon relative movement between the mandrel and the cap and ring the lower shoulder forces the bulb into the cavity and the upper shoulder forces the ring and cap into engagement.

2. A method of applying a closure to a bottle having a mouth with an external circumferential cavity, said closure being constituted by :a cap including a disc, and a depending skirt on said disc, said skirt including a circumferential bulb facing inwardly, and an outwardly projecting extension below the bulb, a reinforcing ring encircling the skirt and having an edge portion of sharp profile facing the skirt, said method comprising: placing the cap with the ring thereon onto the mouth of the bottle, displacing the ring downwardly along the skirt while independently depressing said extension downwardly and inwardly to cause the bulb to enter the cavity and the sharp profile of the ring to compress the bulb in the cavity and prevent upward movement of the ring on the skirt.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said extension is formed with a conical surface facing the ring, and the latter is formed with a corresponding surface to provide snap engagement therebetween when the ring has been displaced downwardly along the skirt.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 13,190 1/1911 Tavender et al. 53136 X 949,478 2/1910 Hichks 53341 985,803 3/1911 Hodgkinson 53136 1,835,990 12/1931 Lebherz 53-341 1,932,351 10/1933 Martina 53-136 X 2,356,825 8/1944 Copeman 5319 X 2,358,889 9/1944 Thomas 53-341 X 2,421,356 5/1947 Saffady 215 2,439,845 4/1949 De Swart 215-45 FOREIGN PATENTS 539,843 7/ 1955 Belgium.

1,089,291 9/ 1958 Germany.

GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, JR., Primary Examiner. 

2. A METHOD OF APPLYING A CLOSURE TO A BOTTLE HAVING A MOUTH WITH AN EXTERNAL CIRCUMFERENTIAL CAVITY, SAID CLOSURE BEING CONSTITUTED BY A CAP INCLUDING A DISC, AND A DEPENDING SKIRT ON SAID DISC, SAID SKIRT INCLUDING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL BULB FACING INWARDLY, AND AN OUTWARDLY PROJECTING EXTENSION BELOW THE BULB, A REINFORCING RING ENCIRCLING THE SKIRT AND HAVING AN EDGE PORTION OF SHARP PROFILE FACING THE SKIRT, SAID METHOD COMPRISING: PLACING THE CAP WITH THE RING THEREON ONTO THE MOUTH OF THE BOTTLE, DISPLACING THE RING DOWNWARDLY ALONG THE SKIRT WHILE INDEPENDENTLY DEPRESSING SAID EXTENSION DOWNWARDLY AND INWARDLY TO CAUSE THE BULB TO ENTER THE CAVITY AND THE SHARP PROFILE OF THE RING TO COMPRESS THE BULB IN THE CAVITY AND PREVENT UPWARD MOVEMENT OF THE RING ON THE SKIRT. 